Ear trouble when flying - The DIS Discussion Forums

Swirly girls · 10-07-2012, 05:41 PM

We leave for Florida in 6 days!
I have flown several times, but it has been over 10 years since our last flight. The last couple of times we flew, my ears popped so badly and were plugged for 2 days afterwards. I don't think I suffered pain, but it was a long time ago and I can't really recall for sure. I bought ear planes from Walmart hoping this would help this problem. Anybody else tried these? Anybody else have these issues? If so, any tips? I concerned about our kids too.
Chewing gum, and swallowing didn't seem to help too much.
Any tips???

Sheaboys · 10-07-2012, 05:59 PM

I took a sudafed. My ears and sinuses have never bothered me, ever while flying or really in general. However, in August, my flight was horrible. I was fine going up, leveling out, but about 1 hour into the flight, my ears and sinuses were killing me, throbbing. So painful.

Once we began to come down, the pressure was letting up, and by the time we got in the airport I was fine. So on the flight home, I took sudafed. It helped, the pressure was not so bad as flying down.

LisaTC · 10-07-2012, 06:20 PM

My ENT told me to use Neosynephrine prior to flight. It worked pretty good. I have Meniere's, too, so I watch carefully. Earplanes did nothing....Get a bottle of water and drink.

Marionnette · 10-07-2012, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swirly girls

We leave for Florida in 6 days!
I have flown several times, but it has been over 10 years since our last flight. The last couple of times we flew, my ears popped so badly and were plugged for 2 days afterwards. I don't think I suffered pain, but it was a long time ago and I can't really recall for sure. I bought ear planes from Walmart hoping this would help this problem. Anybody else tried these? Anybody else have these issues? If so, any tips? I concerned about our kids too.
Chewing gum, and swallowing didn't seem to help too much.
Any tips???

I use Earplanes (or the CVS version of them) every time that I fly and they help tremendously. My daughter's boyfriend also has difficulty with his ears when he flies. He didn't have a pair our trip to Punta Cana and the poor guy was in agony when we descended. We couldn't find Earplanes but we did buy a set of those earplugs that you wear to keep water out of the ears and he had a much more comfortable trip on the way home.

a1tinkfans · 10-07-2012, 08:56 PM

earplanes are not the same as regular ear plug and they ARE worth every penny.

Put them in the ears jut before boarding. Gently pull the top of the ear to place in the ear canal gently (dont just push them in)....I would also suggest some type of decongestant for anyone that suffers (or you know they have ear issues)....
I use them for every flight and personally use a new pair for each segment....which is not necessary, but i have Very very sensitive ears with narrow tubes...I have had to be on pain meds and a dr visit due to major ear issue after a flight, pre earplanes...

Bring gum regardless, or a lollipop to suck on for kids...
Try and not get too concerned....i think that if you Plan ahead of time, itll be fine....have a great time!!!

720L · 10-08-2012, 05:45 AM

Earplanes work good, but if you have allergies or even the beginning of a cold, they won't stop the plugged ear thing. I take Sudafed or Benedryl before flying if I'm the least bit stuffy. I also bring Sudafed with me, my Dr said that will help unplug the plugged up ear. Sometimes it takes a couple days to help unplug. Very annoying!

Marionnette · 10-08-2012, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a1tinkfans

earplanes are not the same as regular ear plug and they ARE worth every penny.

Yes! I did not mean to imply that they were. We were in a foreign airport and we were trying to find something - ANYTHING - that would make our daughter's boyfriend more comfortable on the 4-1/2 hour flight home. The item we purchased was not Earplanes and the package said that they were for use on aircraft and in water. The woman behind the counter assured me that they would work for what we needed. I would not recommend using ordinary earplugs to prevent ear pain due to changes in cabin pressure.

2binak · 10-08-2012, 11:53 AM

Another vote for Earplanes. I've had ear pain as much as 24+ hours after landing but never have a problem when I use Earplanes.

Pesky · 10-08-2012, 01:02 PM

I've flown with a cold before (not fun) and was fine -- I was just sure to drug up with sudafed before flying and used EarPlanes. I have to use the children's size because my ear canal is smaller.

MommytoaSweetie · 10-09-2012, 11:06 PM

Sudafed is a lifesaver! I start taking it more regularly (than I do anyway due to allergies) a few days before a flight, then the day of the flight I make sure I take one at least an hour before the flight (and right at the next dose if it's a long flight) and that helps tremendously. If I'm more stuffed up, I also do Afrin, but I try not to use it often. Without it, my pain (particularly upon landing) is HORRIBLE and I often cry the pain is so bad (thankfully neither of my children seem to have this problem and Lord willing inherited their Daddy's ears!), but the Sudafed on my last 2 sets of flights allowed me to be virtually pain-free and able to mostly hear on vacation. Score!

roscoepc1 · 10-11-2012, 05:46 PM

Take an anti-histamine before the flight, and suck your thumb if you get pains. Works like nothing else.

We found that out the hard way on the way home from Disney with our kids....our oldest dd had an AWFUL earache from it (earplanes were useless) so in desperation I told her to duck her head so no one would see and suck her thumb for all she was worth. It worked right away, and now it's what we all do!

10-07-2012, 05:41 PM	#1
Swirly girls Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 165	Ear trouble when flying We leave for Florida in 6 days! I have flown several times, but it has been over 10 years since our last flight. The last couple of times we flew, my ears popped so badly and were plugged for 2 days afterwards. I don't think I suffered pain, but it was a long time ago and I can't really recall for sure. I bought ear planes from Walmart hoping this would help this problem. Anybody else tried these? Anybody else have these issues? If so, any tips? I concerned about our kids too. Chewing gum, and swallowing didn't seem to help too much. Any tips???

10-07-2012, 05:59 PM	#2
Sheaboys DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Brimfield, Massachusetts Posts: 537	I took a sudafed. My ears and sinuses have never bothered me, ever while flying or really in general. However, in August, my flight was horrible. I was fine going up, leveling out, but about 1 hour into the flight, my ears and sinuses were killing me, throbbing. So painful. Once we began to come down, the pressure was letting up, and by the time we got in the airport I was fine. So on the flight home, I took sudafed. It helped, the pressure was not so bad as flying down. __________________ Our August 2012 Free Dining Review. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2990330 Mom to 5 little boys WDW-various days during the 70's and 80's as a child. DisneyLand-July 1991, DisneyWorld-April 1992 offsite Caribbean Beach-June 1995 honeymoon, All Stars Sports-December 1998, All Star Movies- November 2000 (me, my mom and the 2 boys) DTD Hotel - May 2001, All Star Movies-September 2001 (me, the 2 boys and my girlfriend), Disneyland-December 2003 (us and the 3 boys), POR-October 2nd-8th 2005 (us and the 3 boys)Caribbean Beach-August 25, 2012-September 2,2012[/SIZE][/SIZE] - (dh41) (me 40) (13)(11)(9)(5)( 3)[/SIZE]

10-07-2012, 06:20 PM	#3
LisaTC DIS Veteran Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 884	My ENT told me to use Neosynephrine prior to flight. It worked pretty good. I have Meniere's, too, so I watch carefully. Earplanes did nothing....Get a bottle of water and drink. __________________ (ME) (DH) (DD9) *************************************** Port Orleans Riverside - Oct 2011 Port Orleans Riverside - Dec 2012

10-07-2012, 08:56 PM	#5
a1tinkfans Spreading Some Pixie Dust Today! Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 8,780	earplanes are not the same as regular ear plug and they ARE worth every penny. Put them in the ears jut before boarding. Gently pull the top of the ear to place in the ear canal gently (dont just push them in)....I would also suggest some type of decongestant for anyone that suffers (or you know they have ear issues).... I use them for every flight and personally use a new pair for each segment....which is not necessary, but i have Very very sensitive ears with narrow tubes...I have had to be on pain meds and a dr visit due to major ear issue after a flight, pre earplanes... Bring gum regardless, or a lollipop to suck on for kids... Try and not get too concerned....i think that if you Plan ahead of time, itll be fine....have a great time!!! __________________ Where Dreams Come True

10-08-2012, 05:45 AM	#6
720L DIS Veteran Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,611	Earplanes work good, but if you have allergies or even the beginning of a cold, they won't stop the plugged ear thing. I take Sudafed or Benedryl before flying if I'm the least bit stuffy. I also bring Sudafed with me, my Dr said that will help unplug the plugged up ear. Sometimes it takes a couple days to help unplug. Very annoying! __________________ (1988&1992ffsite) (1995:Dixie Landings) (1998: ASM) (2001:Disneyland) (2002:ASM) (2003 & 2004:Disneyland) (2005: POP) (2006: AKL & POP) (2007:POP,BC,CR) (2008: POP,AKL,CSR,ASMU,AKL) (2009: CSR ,POP,POLY,GF) (2010: DISNEYLAND DLH in June/ POP & BC in July/ POFQ for Thanksgiving) (April 1-8, 2011 AKL)(June 2011 POFQ)(October 13-16, 2011 Boardwalk) (June 2012 Disneyland/Carsland opening day!) (July 22, 2012-August 3, 2012 Disneyworld CSR & BC)(Christmas 2012 AOA)(:Spring Break April 2013 POP) (June 2013 AKL)

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10-08-2012, 11:53 AM	#8
2binak DVC Owner Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 2,155	Another vote for Earplanes. I've had ear pain as much as 24+ hours after landing but never have a problem when I use Earplanes. __________________ 11/90 Offsite, 11/97 PO, 5/99 DL, 1/00 CS, 1/04 PC, 12/05 SSR, 5/07 AKL, 10/08 SSR, 5/09 POFQ, 11/09 AKV Kidani, 11/10 AKV Kidani, 10/11 BWV, 10/12 BWV, 11/13 AKV Kidani

10-08-2012, 01:02 PM	#9
Pesky "Who's the monkey?!" Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: CO Posts: 970	I've flown with a cold before (not fun) and was fine -- I was just sure to drug up with sudafed before flying and used EarPlanes. I have to use the children's size because my ear canal is smaller. __________________ DH, the Disney doubter Me DD5 DS3 WDW Plan: October 2016 (so very, very far away ) Their first Disney experience coming soon!

10-09-2012, 11:06 PM	#10
MommytoaSweetie DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 827	Sudafed is a lifesaver! I start taking it more regularly (than I do anyway due to allergies) a few days before a flight, then the day of the flight I make sure I take one at least an hour before the flight (and right at the next dose if it's a long flight) and that helps tremendously. If I'm more stuffed up, I also do Afrin, but I try not to use it often. Without it, my pain (particularly upon landing) is HORRIBLE and I often cry the pain is so bad (thankfully neither of my children seem to have this problem and Lord willing inherited their Daddy's ears!), but the Sudafed on my last 2 sets of flights allowed me to be virtually pain-free and able to mostly hear on vacation. Score! __________________ We are so blessed! Trip to WDW in the 80s courtesy of Make-A-Wish, two trips in the 90s thanks to youth group and a band trip, then a trip in 2004 with DH - what started the trend. Another short trip in 2005, a trip to DisneyLand in 2008 with our DD1, another trip to WDW in 2008 with DD1, trip in 2010 with DD1 and DD2, and just another in February 2011 with DD1 and DD2. It's been amazing! DH, me, and our two beautiful girls (5 and 3) Our dining report from our February 2011 trip

10-11-2012, 05:46 PM	#11
roscoepc1 DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,104	Take an anti-histamine before the flight, and suck your thumb if you get pains. Works like nothing else. We found that out the hard way on the way home from Disney with our kids....our oldest dd had an AWFUL earache from it (earplanes were useless) so in desperation I told her to duck her head so no one would see and suck her thumb for all she was worth. It worked right away, and now it's what we all do! __________________ ~Laura~

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